BOSTON (WHDH) - Red Sox second baseman Brock Holt was brought to tears by some heartwarming messages sent to him by patients at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
In a viral video, the Red Sox utility man wipes away tears as he reads letters of appreciation and gratitude from patients and families affected by cancer.
“Our family is grateful for all the smiles you brought to our precious daughter and you will always be our favorite Red Sox player,” one mother wrote.
Holt has been one of the biggest contributors to the Jimmy Fund since he arrived in Boston in 2013.
He has spent considerable time visiting and comforting patients as they go through treatment.
“You couldn’t ask for a nicer, kinder child than James. But, even he started to complain. Your influence helped change that,” another mother wrote. “Now on Fridays James puts on his number 12 jersey first thing in the morning and turns his Sox hat around backward. The moment he walks in he shows everyone your name on the back of his shirt and tells people how you’re doing.”
Holt has invited several cancer patients to be his special guest at games, including Maddie, who lost her battle with the disease 2 years ago.
“The day after you learned the news, you tweeted a message about Madison. You were saddened by the loss of our beautiful girl and sent flowers to know she was remembered,” Maddie’s mother wrote.
During the 2018 World Series, Holt paid tribute to two Australian cancer patients by donning battling gloves bearing their names.
“That was really nice of you,” one of the boys wrote. “It made me feel very special.”
Holt took to Instagram to thank everyone who participated in the video writing, “no words can describe what these kids and these families mean to me. James, Nixon, and Maddie- thank you for allowing me to be apart of y’all’s lives. I am forever grateful for these relationships. Happy Birthday Maddie, she would have been 18 today!”
The video has more than 300,000 views on Twitter.
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